


The Night Before and the Morning After

by PsexyPseudonym



Category: Sentinels of the Multiverse (Card Game)
Genre: Anal Sex, Drunk Sex, M/M, Oral Sex, Size Difference, pegging mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-03
Updated: 2019-01-03
Packaged: 2019-10-03 19:25:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17289950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PsexyPseudonym/pseuds/PsexyPseudonym
Summary: When Setback and Expat have a bigger fight than usual, he goes to the bar to cool off. That's when he meets a new drinking buddy - someone he would never have expected!





	1. Chapter 1

Pete stared down at his beer, and there seemed to be too little of it. He tipped what was left into his mouth, not really tasting it as it went down, then signalled to the bartender, and moments later there was a new one in front of him. He lifted it to eye level, considered the colour for a moment, and then drank deeply.

He’d really messed up this time.

It wasn’t like he’d never made a mistake before. He’d made heaps. Ask anyone. And Amanda had always forgiven him – heck, half the time she laughed. Thinking of her laugh and the sunshine it brought to her face, he couldn’t stop a smile creeping out for a moment. But this time was different from the others. There’d been shouting, and she’d slammed doors, and then she’d told him they were going to take a break. Think about things. Think about what they wanted from life.

Shit.

It barely registered with him when the door opened and closed, but when someone sat down next to him he couldn’t ignore it. Especially because the guy was enormous, so big that he was sitting backwards because his knees wouldn’t have fit under the bar. And he was familiar – when he ordered, in a deep and quiet voice, Pete nearly jumped.

“Steven? Steven Graves?”

The big man’s head turned slowly. “Oh, hey – Setback, right? Is that you? Wouldn’t have recognised you without the mask on.”

He grimaced. “Just Pete, please. I’m not on the job tonight.” He gestured at his beer, as if to say: tonight I am busy getting drunk, and that’d probably interfere with superheroing. Superheroisming? Whatever.

“Well, then you call me Steve, okay?”

“Okay, cool. Steve it is.”

Steve leaned forward a little, and the stool creaked under his weight. Pete looked up at him – wow, he was huge. He must have been what, seven or eight feet tall? Incredible.

“I’m not on the job either. Case you were wondering.”

Pete nodded, although he hadn’t been. “Oh, good, great.” He took another quick sip. “So, uh, what are you doing these days? If you aren’t, uh, supervillainying I mean?” Yeah, that definitely wasn’t the right way to say that.

At least Steve didn’t seem bothered by his word choice. “Ah, you know. This and that.” A small shrug of huge shoulders. “Turns out there’s a decent amount of legal work for a big guy like me. Even an ex-military ex-con. I’ve been doing some work as a bouncer, because,” and he gestured at his physique. Pete had to admit it was impressive, even compared to his own or the other guys in his circles. The guy was tall and broad, but very nicely toned. Very nicely indeed.

Not that he was necessarily attracted, he added to himself. This was just...observation. Yeah. “Yeah, I can see why they’d want you. Uh. As an employee I mean.” And if he could stop being awkward for thirty seconds, that would be just great.

“Yeah. So I’m doing alright. And not being beaten up by Legacy is a bonus.”

Pete chuckled. He’d run into Legacy’s fist once or twice – not in the way that Steve had, maybe, but it still wasn’t an experience he wanted to repeat.

Steve took a long drink, and added: “Oh, yeah speaking of that: sorry for smashing you into a wall that one time. Business, you know?”

“Yeah, I get it.” And even if he hadn’t been a naturally forgiving guy, the drinks were helping him feel friendly. “Sorry for the time I fell through a skylight onto you and set off those explosives.”

Steve actually laughed, loud enough that the few other patrons and the bartender looked over at him. “I’d forgotten that! Oh, that time actually hurt. Haha, ahh, don’t worry about it. Water under the bridge.”

That settled that. For a minute or two there was nothing more to say, and they sat there slowly drinking. But something was itching in Pete’s head. “Hey, do you mind if I, uh, ask you something?”

Steve shrugged. “Yeah?”

“Do you think I’m a screwup?”

Steve jolted, startled at the question’s abruptness. “What? What do you mean, man?”

He glanced up for a second, and Steve was looking down at him. He looked confused, and...concerned maybe?

“I just...I mess everything up. Sometimes I hold it together for a bit, you know, act like a real grownup, but sooner or later I, I break something or I say the wrong thing or I, I, I set off a fight between her and our other friends and then she’s so angry at me and...” Oh no, clearly he’d drunk more than he thought if he was unloading like this on a nearly-complete stranger.

But Steve was just looking down at him with pity, and his hand was on Pete’s shoulder. It felt comfortable and warm.

“No man, I don’t think you’re a screwup. You’re clumsy, maybe, and kind of awkward, but you’re tough too. I’ve never seen you get knocked down and not bounce back up. Kind of annoying sometimes. You know, professionally speaking. But whatever’s going on, I’m sure she’ll be over it before too long. You can bounce back from this.”

“Thanks, Steve.” He took a long drink – and whoops, now he’d finished that bottle, better wave at the bartender to line up the next. “But I’m not sure, you know? She’s never been this pissed, she’s never actually broken up with me before.”

“She full-on broke up with you?” Pete nodded, slow as anything. “Shit, man. I’m sorry.”

Whatever he might have said next was cut off when the bartender came back with more bottles, one for each of them. Steve took a long drink from his, and when he put it down on the bar it was already halfway gone.

“Hey, can I ask something else? Personal? Ish?”

Steve chuckled, drank. “Shoot.”

“You weren’t always this big, right?”

“Yeah, I used to be just your average six-foot military toughguy. Then there was this whole thing with a mysterious experiment, blah blah, you know the drill.” Boy did he ever. “And now I’m...this.”

“Wow.”

“You said it.”

Pete took a sip. “Being as big as you...that must make it kind of hard to find a girl? Uh, or guy?” Oh, that wasn’t subtle at all. He wasn’t blushing, he didn’t blush much – which was good, since, clumsy as he was, he’d be blushing pretty much all the time.  
But Steve didn’t seem bothered. “Yeah, it does. Even tall women tend to be short enough to have a problem with it. Oh, and yeah, girl. Mostly.”  
Interesting. He couldn’t resist asking: “Mostly?”  
The big man shrugged, and for a moment Pete was very interested in the way the muscles in his shoulders moved against each other. Gosh, that shirt really was tight. “I _was_ in the army, and...you know. You can get attached to people over there. Relationship didn’t survive my discharge, though. Last I heard he was married with two kids.” Was his voice a little bitter?  
“That sucks, I’m sorry.”  
He drank deeply again. “It is what it is.”  
“Was that the last, uh, serious relationship you had?”  
“I guess, yeah. I’ve had some one- or two-night things here and there, mostly with women like I said, but none of them were in it for the long haul. Always felt like I was...I dunno. A curiosity for them. An experience to tick off their bucket list.”  
Pete nodded. He hadn’t dated much since getting his powers – he’d started flirting with Amanda pretty quickly, and that had become a long term deal almost right away – but a few people had tried flirting with him, and he knew exactly the type Steve was talking about. They’d kind of creeped him out.

“Anyway, I haven’t really been looking. Work keeps me busy, and I don’t really bother much with friends or relationships. Too much effort.”

“Oh. Okay. If that...okay.”

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence before Steve rolled his eyes down at him. “What?”

“It’s just...that sounds kind of lonely, that’s all.”

“Maybe.” Another shrug. “But look at you. One decent fight with your girlfriend and you’re a complete mess. I’ll take a little loneliness over that any day of the week.”

Pete nodded, then shook his head, then said: “Well, alright, maybe. But hey, if you ever feel like you want to talk, give me a call, okay? We’ll, we’ll get a drink together or something!”

“Sure man, whatever. How many of those have you had?”

He frowned up at Steve. “I’m serious! And I’ve only had a few, anyway. Like...seven, or...ten, I’m not sure. Hey bartender!” He waved, and...oh dear. He knew it had been too long since his luck had gone sour. The gesture was just a bit too broad, knocking an empty bottle down in its path, but more importantly pulling him off balance. He slipped backwards on the stool, and his other hand went out, flinging itself into Steve’s shoulder. That wasn’t enough to keep him up or prevent him from hitting the ground hard enough to knock the wind out of his lungs, but it was enough to pull Steve off balance as well, bringing the bigger man sliding down in an avalanche of muscle. Steve just barely managed to fling out his hands before landing on top of Pete. His face had ended up very close, and Pete could feel his breath. God, his mouth was so near, he could almost…

The bartender stomped over, glared, and shouted: “Okay, you and you! Out, now!”

* * *

 

 

The two of them walked side by side down the dark street, Pete moving a little unsteadily on his feet. Maybe the last couple of beers had been mistakes.

“Hey. Hey, Steve. I’m sorry I got us kicked out.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it. I’d had enough anyway.”

Pete kicked a beer bottle out of the way, and it rattled along the pavement and into the street.

“Why were you there, anyway? You already know why I was drinking alone.”

Steve considered it. “I don’t know. Long week, I guess. And I’m good at my job, you know, but honestly the work is boring as hell. I miss...the other stuff.”

Pete nodded for a moment, then the words registered. “Wait, you miss the whole villainy thing?”

“It’s not the...I just miss the challenge. Standing around looking scary doesn’t exactly test my skills. I don’t miss the people, or even really what we were doing, I just miss the thrill of it.” He sighed deeply. “Ah, whatever. At least I can pay the bills now without going to jail. The Block just fucking sucks.”

Pete nodded. He’d visited there, briefly, and it sure did suck. “So what are you going to do?”

“What does it sound like, man? I’m going to keep working at my crappy job. If I have to spend a little time drinking the boredom away, that’s a small enough price to pay.”

That seemed fair enough. Pete took another step, and his foot found another empty bottle. It slipped away under his foot, and he staggered sideways, arm flung out, colliding with Steve’s muscular torso. He steadied himself there for a moment, and his attention focused on the feel of the body under his hand. Wow, that felt pretty good. Firm.

“You alright there, Pete? You don’t seem too steady.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.” His hand stayed where it was, until he realised what he was doing and jerked it back. “Uh, sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Was he smiling? It was hard to tell, the streetlights were casting strange-angled shadows on his face.

“I didn’t mean to...you’ve just got really great abs. They’re, uh, really nice.” Well _now_ he was blushing.

“Thanks.” Steve didn’t seem too bothered. In fact: “Hey, are you hitting on me?”

Oh gosh. “Uh um, uh, maybe? Yeah? Sorry.” He cringed, and almost stumbled in the other direction – but Steve caught him.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s flattering. But I think you’ve had a few too many to drink.”

“Too many for what?”

He cleared his throat. “You know what I mean.”

“Too many to know what I want? Because I’m definitely tipsy, but I think I know what I want.”

Steve raised an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? And what’s that?”

Pete grabbed his wrist and pulled him into an alleyway, a mischievous smile playing over his lips.

“I don’t know if we should do this. You’re pretty drunk, man.”

He nodded, and reached up Steve’s chest, allll the way up to his neck, and pulled down gently, so that his face came down a little towards his own.

“Yeah, I am. But you’ve always been hot, even when I’m sober.” He pulled down a bit more, and pushed up on tiptoes so that his lips could meet Steve’s own. They were shockingly soft. He pressed against them, parting his own, and felt Steve’s hand on his back, pulling him deeper into it. He flicked his tongue lightly into Steve’s mouth, across the teeth, enjoying the faint taste of the beer on his breath. Finally he broke the kiss and pulled back, letting his hand drop down Steve’s enormous, muscular chest, down to his tight waist.

“I want this. I really do.”

His hand dropped past Steve’s belt, rested on the front of his jeans. Oh, wow, was that as big as he thought? And it was definitely getting hard – it seemed like Steve might want this as much as he did. He rubbed his hand across it, back and forth. Pressing his other hand on Steve’s stomach to steady himself, he slid down, almost to his knees. Now he was looking right at the bigger man’s enormous package. But the jeans were still in his way – well, not for long. He kissed his lips against the hardening bulge, and looked up through his hair, made eye contact. Steve groaned deeply, a rumbling sound that echoed through the quiet alley.

“I’m going to feel weird about this in the morning,” he said, as one hand loosened his belt.

“Well, the best time to worry about that,” said Pete, “is in the morning,” and he pulled the belt open. There was a button, but that was easy to deal with, and then a zip. The zip fought him a little as he loosened it – then it was open, all the way down, and the only thing in the way was a pair of black underwear. His left hand stroked against it again. He could see the shape of it much better without the jeans in the way, and he ran his hand all the way along it, found the head and kissed it again. That made it twitch, and he grinned.

“You’ve done this before,” accused Steve with half a smile.

“Once or twice.” Another long stroke – oh, but that was enough teasing. And he wanted to really see what he was working with. Both hands went up to the waistband, pulled it out and down, revealing Steve’s immense cock. If anything, it was bigger than it had seemed when wrapped up in fabric. It was going to be challenging to get much of that in his mouth, never mind anywhere else. But he would make a serious effort.

He wrapped his right hand around the shaft, near the base, stroked it slowly and lifted it so that he could kiss along it. Each time he landed a kiss, he could hear Steve’s breathing, rough in his throat. He almost reached the tip, but pulled back, stroked it with his hand a couple of times. It was getting harder, rising up to face him properly.

Time to get serious. He rested his left hand on Steve’s toned abdomen while his right gradually made its way along the shaft, lifting the tip of it up to his face. He ran his tongue across the head, made a happy sound, and then closed his lips around it. Slowly but surely, he moved his mouth down, sucking more and more of it in, still rubbing with his hand as he did so. Steve groaned, the sound echoing through the alley around them. Pete reached his limit about halfway along Steve’s cock, and pulled back a little, starting to move his mouth and hand together in a steady rhythm. God, this felt amazing. Steve’s hands were resting on his shoulders, helping guide him as his head bobbed up and down, enjoying the taste and the feel of the heavy member in his mouth. His hand was dripping wet as it spread his saliva further, making a slippery mess – just the way he liked it. Steve made another groan, louder this time, more urgent, and his cock was just about pulsing with need in Pete’s mouth.

Pete slowly, slowly drew it out of his mouth, and flicked his tongue against the tip. Steve slapped the wall and grunted, and Pete shivered with delight. He made coy eye contact through his hair again.  
“Hey. When you come,” and the cock in his hands twitched again at the word, “I want this to be inside me. I want to feel it fill me up.”  
Steve’s eyes were dark with lust. “Then we’d better get you back to my place, top speed.”


	2. Chapter 2

Steve shouldered the door open and ducked his head as he stepped inside. Pete’s arms were tight around his neck, although he thought they probably didn’t need to be – with Steve’s muscle, he could have kept him in this fireman’s carry without the help. One-handed, even.  
On the other hand, having his arms here let him pull himself up and brush Steve’s neck with his teeth, trailing kisses upwards, onto his firm jaw where traces of stubble broke up the smoothness of his skin.  
Steve looked down at him. “Hey, you want anything? Water, maybe? Coffee?”  
Pete shook his head. “I just want to know what your bedroom looks like.”  
Steve’s laugh boomed through the apartment, but he nodded, and a few quick steps took him to the open bedroom door. He didn’t bother to turn on any lights, so the rooms were lit only by the glow of streetlights that filtered up through the apartment’s wide windows. He hefted Pete in his arms and dropped him lightly onto the bed. His head spun a little as he landed, a reminder of all those beers, and his hands grabbed the sheets reflexively – they were dark and silky, and felt delicious against his skin.  
But not enough of his skin was exposed to them. That would have to be fixed. Steve was obviously thinking the same – the big man knelt on the bed, looming over him, and took his shirt in both hands. Pete just got his arms up in time before Steve pulled it up over his head. His eyes lingered appreciatively on Pete’s torso, taking in the defined abdomen and the slender waist. Then he hooked a finger into Pete’s belt.  
Well that just didn’t seem fair. “Wait, what about you? You’re way too clothed right now.”  
Steve grinned. “Well, you got my engine running back in the alley. And turnabout,” he added, slipping the belt off, “is fair play.”  
His zipper was down in a second, and he kicked off his shoes and socks as Steve dragged the pants right off him, underwear and all. And there he was, naked.  
He looked up at the big man. It wasn’t often he felt small, or intimidated, but looking up at this man, and knowing some of what he looked like under his clothes...yeah, that was a little intimidating.  
Steve didn’t seem to notice what he was thinking, though, or resisted the urge to comment if he did. Instead he tapped a button on a remote lying on the nightstand, bringing soft, rhythmic music from hidden speakers. Then he placed a hand on Pete’s chest and ran it down his torso until it reached his thigh. He nodded with approval, and Pete shivered.  
“Nice. You’ve got a great body.”  
“Thanks, you too.”  
Steve grinned. He moved his hand over, finding Pete’s hard cock sitting there openly for him. A thumb ran thoughtfully along the shaft, and suddenly Pete was so hard that it ached.  
“Shh.” He hadn’t realised he was already moaning. “Don’t get too loud yet, we’ve barely started.” Oh gosh.  
The thumb was joined by a couple of fingers, and they slid smoothly up and down the shaft. Each time they brushed the head he had to stifle another moan – and that tension, that restraint only made the burning intensity in his cock feel greater with every stroke. Steve bent down over him and planted a kiss hard onto his lips, powerful and demanding. He broke the kiss – too soon, thought Pete, way too soon – and bent further, flicking his tongue against a nipple.  
Combined with the steady stroking of his cock, it was too much – loud moan scraped past his lips. Steve lifted his head and smiled down at him. “Like my tongue, do you?” Pete could only nod. Down went his head again, and that tongue teased him, flicking over his ribs, down his taut stomach, movements that made him shiver and wriggle as Steve’s relentless hand kept rubbing his cock. That hand was like a machine.  
Then suddenly it stopped, and he writhed with need. “No, please, I need it” pushed its way from his mouth before he could think to resist.  
In the darkness he felt like he could almost sense Steve’s eyes glittering at him. Without a word, his tongue flicked out again – this time, a long lick starting at his balls, trailing slowly up, then brushing over the head.  
This time he had been almost prepared, and that meant he was nearly able to swallow his groan.  
Steve wasn’t wasting the initiative, though, and his mouth slipped easily over Pete’s cock and down, lips wrapped around the body of it. He slid down it and back and Pete didn’t think he could get any more wound up. Then he felt it – the soft press of a finger in a condom, resting against his ass. When had he had the time to get that condom on? Wow, he was good at this. The finger hadn’t moved, its presence almost like a question. So Pete answered: “Yes, please, give it to me. Just be gentle.”  
The finger responded, moving slowly and slickly into him. Oh whoa, was that one finger? Just one? Even his fingers were enormous. The finger moved deeper and deeper, and there was a surge of pleasure, his groan became a drawn out moan, then words that he couldn’t hold back: “Please, please, just give it to me. Fuck me now, I want it!”  
Steve pulled out urgently, his head rising from Pete’s cock, and there was a tearing sound as he pulled his shirt over his head. He didn’t waste time checking for damage, hands already tearing his belt open and ripping off his pants. Now fully exposed, his body looked as incredible as Pete had thought it would – the muscular shoulders a definite highlight, but his thighs were amazing too, with large thick muscles that pumped as he shifted his weight. And of course that cock, which he was eagerly stroking another condom onto, sliding dripping lube down its shaft. Pete couldn’t be sure, but he might have gasped.  
Either way, Steve was looking down at him now, confident and ready. “You want it?” He nodded eagerly. “Yeah, I want you. It. Uh, both.”  
Steve chuckled, and moved down, pushing up one of Pete’s legs with one hand and gripping his cock with the other. Pete lifted his hips, and the head of Steve’s cock pressed against him, into him. Oh, now that was it, that was what he was looking for. It pushed deeper and deeper, feeling like it was growing bigger and thicker and harder with every passing moment. Steve grunted as he hit the deepest point, and he gasped up at him: “Oh, you’re incredible.”  
A flash of grin in the near-darkness. “Same to you. Not many people can take my cock like you’re doing.”  
He flushed with pride, and almost told him why, but bit it back – he didn’t think that it would be a good moment to talk about how his ex-girlfriend had sometimes liked to fuck him with a fairly sizeable strapon. And anyway, her equipment had only been a fraction of the size that Steve’s was.  
“I can take it harder, too. I want it, Steve, give it to me.”  
Steve took the demand well, and kicked his body back into gear. He moved slowly at first, drawing his dick nearly all the way out before sliding it just as steadily in, and Pete almost complained at the achingly slow pace. Then it started to pick up, and all thoughts apart left his head, apart from the desperate urge to hold on. One hand reached for Steve’s steadily-pounding hip, while the other dug fingers into the slippery silk sheets beneath him. Steve’s right hand was still under Pete’s knee, and he put his weight into it, stretching the leg further back, letting his cock push even deeper inside, and Pete moaned aloud, no longer worried about the noise he was making. But apparently that wasn’t all – Steve’s other hand moved down from where it had been resting, and resumed its steady movement on Pete’s cock, now keeping time with the thrusting inside him, much faster and harder than before, and he almost instantly felt a gathering force in his hips.  
“Steve, I’m going to-“  
“No!” He growled down. “Hold it until I finish.”  
The thought of making this gorgeous man orgasm made it even harder to hold back. “Oh yes, please, give it to me, let me feel you cum inside me!” He was babbling now, and he didn’t care. “Give me your cum, please, I want it so much!”  
Steven’s growl turned into a triumphant roar and his hips pounded harder and harder until at last he gave three long, shuddering thrusts, and even through the latex Pete could feel the cum filling him up. That was more than enough to push him over the edge – he gasped as he came, pulsing white over his stomach and his chest, landing stickily, spreading over his body and over Steve’s stroking hand.

There was a still moment full of nothing but the soft music and the sound of two men breathing hard into each other. Steve slowly raised his hand to his face and licked Pete’s seed off it.

“Mmm. Not bad.” He pulled back, gradually drew himself out of Pete’s body. “We’d better get you cleaned up before we fall asleep.”

* * *

 

The shower was enormous, matching the size of everything in the rest of the apartment. Most showers wouldn’t fit Steve by himself, but this one comfortably fit him and had room for Pete as well. Sure they were a little pressed together, but that wasn’t a bad thing. The water was running down over their bodies, and Pete was rubbing the soap over his chest, pushing through the stickiness of sweat and semen. He smiled to himself. It had been too long since he’d done something messy and fun like this.

Steve spotted his expression. “Happy thoughts?”

“I’m glad we did this. I’m glad we met.”

Steve nodded, thoughtful. “Yeah. Yeah, me too.”

That was the last thing either of them said for the next few minutes, until Steve asked for Pete to wash his back. He did that happily, enjoying the feel of skin slippery under his hands – although it was hard for him to reach all the way up to Steve’s shoulders, and he ended up just doing as much as he could reach. No sense doing anything risky, especially since he was still about half drunk. The light in here was letting him enjoy Steve’s body anew. His skin was so smooth. Gorgeous. He ran hands down, tracing the dimples in his back, down over the curves of his buttocks.

Steve chuckled. “Okay, man, that’s enough of that. We’re supposed to be winding down, remember.”

He laughed back and took his hands away, ran one shyly through his own hair. Even though he was pretty worn out, it was hard to keep his hands to himself with this gorgeous man standing naked in front of him. He wanted to run kisses all over him. He wanted to see if he could make him orgasm again. He wanted to see the look in his eyes, urgent and powerful, as he gave him what he wanted. But he settled for getting clean with him, letting the soap run off his body and down the drain.

It was over too soon, and they towelled off together. Pete tried to keep his eyes averted, blushed when he caught himself staring. He rubbed the towel down each leg, and almost jumped out of his skin when he suddenly felt Steve’s hand on his back.

“Hold still. You’ve missed bits.”

He stood there, trying not to shiver as Steve briskly ran the towel over his back, little circles catching every drop. He could have happily stood there for hours, but Steve was more sensible than that.

“Alright, you’re done. Meet you in bed.”

As Steve left the room, Pete took a slow look at himself in the mirror. He looked tired and his hair was even messier than usual, but...not as sad as before. That was something. He gave himself a smile, and went to join Steve in his bed.

* * *

 

As he drifted off the last thought in his head was: what was Amanda doing tonight?


	3. Chapter 3

When he woke up, it was to sunshine from a cloudy sky, streaming through a window at the foot of the bed. He sat upright, and regretted that move immediately, head suddenly pounding to remind him that he’d overdone it the night before. He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to remember where he was and why. His helpful brain flickered through images of the night before – the argument, going to the bar, all those drinks, and then...Steve.

That part of the evening definitely lingered in his mind.

But pleasant as that was, there was no sense lying around all day – he got up, carefully, being gentle with a head that felt like it might burst and legs that tingled and ached, and found his underwear and jeans lying on the floor. His shirt was probably here somewhere too, but he didn’t see it – whatever, he’d find it when he needed to. For now, shirtless was fine.

He walked to the window, shading his eyes, and looked out. He’d forgotten how many stairs they’d gone up last night, but the view brought it back to him. Nobody thought of Rook City as beautiful, and even now, Pete could see their point. The place had a jagged look to it, rough and misshapen. But there was light pushing through the grey clouds, shining over a city that was dirty but colourful. He could see into some alleyways full of shuffling shopping masses, into office buildings where people in suits were glaring at computers, over rooftops where pigeons were roosting and arguing with crows. He stood there for a few minutes, smiling vaguely, before his stomach reminded him that he hadn’t had breakfast yet and wasn’t it about time?

He wandered into the kitchen and found Steve there, leaning against the counter as he sipped a mug of coffee. He’d pulled on a pair of gym shorts and a tank top, and looked incredible in them. The light was shining off his skin and he just about glowed. He gave Pete a quick nod, and said “Hey.”

“Hey.”

In the silence that followed, Pete’s gaze wandered around the apartment, taking in the large, heavy, modernist style of the room and its furnishings. The couch at least looked comfortable, but there were a lot of hard edges to things. A few bits of gym equipment and some free weights pointed to at least one interest outside of his work. It didn’t look as though he had a lot of friends over, and Pete wondered if being a supervillain might make it hard to stay close with people. Being a superhero sure could, and it was probably similar, right?

“I like your place.”

“Thanks.”

There was silence, and Steve slowly sipped his coffee.

“So listen,” said Pete into the awkwardness, “last night-”

“We don’t have to talk about that.”

“We, uh...we don’t?”

“Nah.” That stung. But Steve wasn’t done: “Look, we don’t have to make a big thing of this. We were both pretty drunk last night. You especially. So we had some fun together. That’s all it was.”

“I...okay.” Pete took an awkward half-step backwards. His foot found a barbell beneath it, and he tried to regain his balance – tried and failed, as the barbell rolled out from underfoot, skidding forwards while it sent him tumbling backwards. The last thing he saw before he hit the floor was Steve’s look of alarm.

Then he blacked out.

* * *

 

He was back in bed, and his head hurt, and those two things together were giving him serious deja vu. This time, though, Steve was looking at him, still with the same look of concern he’d had earlier.

Pete blinked, winced, and sat up. “Uh, sorry. Is everything, is there any damage?”

“No, not really.” Steve waved a hand. “I broke my mug, but that’s not your fault. How about you? Any damage?”

A careful touch to the back of the head revealed no lumps, bumps or blood. “No, I’ve walked away from worse, I’ll be fine. I heal up pretty good anyway.”

Steve didn’t look entirely convinced, but he said “Alright. Well, lie here as long as you need to, okay?”

Pete nodded. There was another long silence as he watched Steve, who had turned to look out the window at the cityscape. He cleared his throat and spoke.

“I’m sorry I was harsh before. Kind of a thing I do with people sometimes. Bad habit, not your fault. I didn’t mean to...” He struggled to find the word, and Pete jumped in.

“You don’t need to explain, really! Look, I get it, you figure we were both drunk and it didn’t mean anything, right?”

“Pretty much. Plus, even if you’ve had a fight, you’ve got a girlfriend. Unfinished business. I was a one-night rebound, and that’s-”

“No, you’re not.” Steve stopped, his face suddenly an unreadable blank. “You’re not just a rebound to me. I mean, sure I guess it was kind of like a rebound thing since we met up after she threw me out and then it was a whole – what I mean to say is...I like you.” It was suddenly hard to get any more words out. But Steve was still looking at him, and didn’t seem inclined to interrupt. “I like you, and I don’t know what’s going to happen with Amanda, if anything is, but I...I want to see where this goes. With you.”

Steve sat back and took that in. “Oh.”

“Yeah.”

They both sat quietly as, far below, cards honked at each other and drivers waved their fists. This time Steve was the first to break the silence.

“I’m going to need time to think about all this. And I think you should too. One night isn’t exactly a relationship, you know?”

Pete sat back. Of course, that made sense. Don’t push.

“So you lie here until you feel better, then we’ll..I don’t know, figure it out from there. Sound good?”

He smiled up at him. “Sounds perfect.”


End file.
